Dimitrov

[oliensis]

Watching Rotterdam tournament on http://atdhe.net/live-tv-3354.html

This kid Dimitrov...his game looks astonishingly like Federer's. He's only 17-18 (born in '91 according to atp site). And he's giving Nadal a good game of it in the 1st set. It's like watching a young Federer but without the mental block.

He's coached by Lundgren...Did L decide to coach him because his game looks like F's? Or did Lundgren help make his game look like F's?

I love the kid's backhand. He really gets his hitting arm extended on it, keeps his hitting shoulder moving into the line of the ball, way out front, and hits out with no fear.

He seems to be giving Nadal trouble by keeping the ball DEEP...something I've noticed lately that Fed has not been able to do on Nadal...also by mixing in short-angle, rolling, cross-court forehands to N's backhand.

[oliensis]

Well, now playing like Federer, Dimitriv has evened the match. After losing the 1st set 5-7, Dimitriv won set 2 by 6-3...same as F v. N Aus Open final. Will D lose set #3 6-7 in a tiebreaker (as F did in Oz)?

[airforce1]

I commented over the years that Fed really never kept the ball that deep consistently, but always got away with it in the past, due to the quickness of his shot. Guys just step up and stick it now days.

[oliensis]

Agreed again, Airforce, re: Fed not keeping the ball deep. But, e.g., when Fed played Agassi in A's last couple of good years (they had some great matches) F did keep the ball very deep most of the time and was punished when he didn't.

Nadal beat Dimitrov easily in the 3rd set (I think it was 6-2). And he had a similar match against Tsonga today. They split the first 2 sets, played to 4-4 in the 3rd, at which point Nadal held for 5-4, and then broke Tsonga to win the match. To play to 4-4 in the 3rd suggests quite an even match. And then to break on match game shows continued remarkable mental strength by Nadal.

Props to him.